Honoring Karen Johnson Boyd: Collecting In-Depth at Home and at RAM

May 27 - December 30, 2018

Gallery 3

Karen Johnson Boyd (1924-2016) was an advocate for and a collector of art, especially contemporary American craft and works on paper. She was passionate about sharing her affinity with others and presented RAM with almost 1,700 pieces over several decades, the largest number of works given by a single donor.

Her establishment of Perimeter Gallery in Chicago in 1982, with its emphasis on a broad range of artists, and her consistent patronage of visual art in other ways made Mrs. Boyd a distinguished­­—albeit quiet—major collector. The works gathered in this exhibition, including multiple examples by individual artists, reflect her desire to collect in-depth across disciplines and support artists’ development over a period of time while documenting their careers.

Organized by the categories of fiber art, work from Japan, work from Perimeter Gallery artists, and functional ceramics—all specialty areas of interest for Mrs. Boyd—this exhibition also contains work that is at RAM because of her influence and legacy.